Convector



April 3, 1934. R. s. -wENTwoRTH CONVECTOR Filed April 17, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet l 6 5 A Lk 2 I n NWN h April 3, 1934. R. s. wEN-rwoRTl-l CONVECTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 17 1933 Patented Apr. 3, 1934 PATE CONV'ECTOR Robert S. Wentworth, Providence, R. I., assignor I to National Radiator Corporation, Johnstown,

Pa., a corporation of Maryland Application April 17, 1933, Serial No. 666,489

6 Claims. (Cl. 257-151) This invention relates to heating convectors, and more particularly convectors of the type disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 513,883, the present invention being for an improvement in convectors of this general construction.

It has been pointed out in my said copending application that a convector formed of a plurality of sections each provided with heat dissipating fins and arranged side-by-side in a diagonal position across the flue in which the convector is located, has a relatively high efficiency per pound of metal employed. The convector shown in my said application is comprised of a number of sections having barrels of elliptical cross-section and cast integrally on thesebarrels are iins, the ns extending crosswise of the barrel, but being disposed at a slight angle to the plane of the transverse axis of the barrel. The convector disclosed in my said copending application is a very eiiicient convector, but the ns are all of substantially the same length, and when viewed in a direction normal to the surface of the ns, they are rectangular in shape. 'Ihe efciency of any heater of this type is determined by the effective heat transfer per pound of metal employed in the entire unit.

Certain portions of the iins, when they are in the form of a rectangle, have a relatively low efliciency so that the average heat transfer per pound of metal is not helped by such portions. Moreover, the shape of the fins, when they are made square or rectangular, has been found to restrict to some extent the volume of air which can reach the upper portions of the several sections so that the volume of air handled in such upper portions is not as great as the volume of air accommodated by other portions of the section. Also, it has been found that vthe lowermost portions of such convectors do not pass the volume of air expected of them.`

According to the present invention, the shape of the ns is modified so as to enable the convector to take care of the ow of air therethrough in an improved manner and to increase the eiciency of the section per pound of metal employed.

The invention may be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l illustrates in front elevation a con- Vector assembly made in accordance with sections embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a single section detached from the assembly;

Figure 3 is a transverse section in substantially the plane of line III- III of Fig. 2; and

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse View through an enclosure showing the disposition of the conthickness is very slight in comparison to its i Width. The opposite ends of the barrel are tapered in width to merge into hub portions 3 at opposite ends of the section. These tapering portions of the barrel are designated 4.

Formed integrally on each of the two faces of the barrel is a series of transversely extending ns 5, which fins are inclined at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the barrel and to the plane of the transverse axis of the barrel. The fins on the centralportion of the barrel are of substantially the same length, and project beyond the top and bottom edges of the barrel, merging into a longitudinally extending fin 6 on the upper edge of the barrel and a similar n '7 on the lower edge of the barrel. Toward the ends of the barrel the fins are of gradually decreasing length, although the width is maintained substantially the same with the exception of the two short fins 5a. at the opposite ends of the barrel, which ns are of less height than the remaining ones.

As shown in Fig. 3, the outer edges of the iins 5 describe an oval, the maximum width of the ns being adjacent the point where the barrel is of maximum thickness. From these widest portions the ns narrow down on a curve to the longitudinally extending fin 6. It will thus be seen that the corner areas (indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3) oi the rectangular n of my earlier application are eliminated. These corner portions, where the iin is made rectangular, are remote from the prime heating surface, and the efficiency of these portions with respect to the weight of such additional iin area is very low. By eliminating such corners a material amount of weight is eliminated, with very little reduction in the rate of heat transfer.

The sections shown in Fig. 2 are assembled by placing them side-byside and conning them between end sections, as shown in Fig. 1. In this View the several sections are shown as be? ing confined between end sections 8 which end sections are hollow and are provided with fins which register with the iins of the adjacent convector sections (which end sections are the subject of a separate application for patent, being Serial No. 666,490, filed April 17, 1933). The end sections are supported on legs 9 so as to provide an open space under the convector. The convector unit is intended to be used in anY enclosure as shown in Fig. 4, in which the cabinet for receiving the convector is designated 10. The numeral l1 designates the front wall of this cabinet; 12 is the grille at the bottom of the cabinet through which the cold air is admitted to the cabinet; and 13 is the upper grille through which the heated air may be discharged. As shown in this figure, the convector unit extends across the depth of the nue or cabinet 10 in a diagonal fashion, the lowermost end preferably being toward the front wall l1, and the upper end being against the outside wall of the building. With this arrangement all air entering the grille 12 must pass through the spaces between the fins of the adjacent sections in order to pass upwardly to the top of the flue or cabinet.

It will be noted in this View that the sections at the top of the unit approach in the Vicinity of the point marked a., a point where they are very close to the wall. In a narrower cabinet this lower edge of the convector unit may actually almost contact with the wall, the space a being much narrower. By reason of the fact 'that the fins are of less length at the end portions of the section, it will be seen that the point a is not so nearly choked off as it would be if the ns were of uniform length. It will also be seen that the section can be adapted to a narrower cabinet in which the sections are more nearly vertical because of the fact that the ns at the end Vdo not project as far beyond the edge of the section as do those at the middle.

By reference to Fig. 3, it wili also be seen that where the upper parts of the section are very close to the wall, designated c in Fig. 3, so that the ns practically contact with the wall, the oval or rounded shape of the fins provides a space d between sections through which the rising air in the flue can flow, whereby the air to the upper parts of the section cannot be too greatly restricted or completely cut off. These additional air channels form a very desirable fea.- ture in the convector.

By reason of the fact that the fins are also of less length at the bottom of the section, it will be seen that a space b is left between the convectorand the front wall 11 through which the heated air, after having passed through the convector, can rise without being unduly restricted, whereas when all of the fins are of the same length, the nns at the lower end of the section project into the space b and prevent the free flow of the heated air. Here again, the space provided bythe rounded shape of the fins also gives additional capacity for the air to escape.

The currents of air, coming in at the bottom of the convector, naturally tend to sweep toward the back wall of the cabinet l0. By having the fins longer at the center of the convector than at the ends more air passes through those fins adjacent the lower` end of the convector than would be 'the case if the lowermost fins projected out from the barrel the saine distance downwardly that the intermediate fins do. In other Words, the semi-rounded contour produced by the gradual shortening of the nnstoward the ends of the sections assures of a greater volume of air being directed through the lowermost n spaces. s

The invention therefore provides certain advantages over convectors as heretofore constructed in accordance with my said earlier application, in that the convectors can be 1used in a narrower cabinet with a higher degree of eiiif ciency and the fins do not choke olf either the supply of cold air to the lower side of the sections adjacent the upper end of the convector, nor do they restrict the escape of the heated air from the fins at the lowermost portion of the unit. Rather than this, they tend to effect a more uniform distribution of the flow of air through -the convector at all points along the length of the section. The rounding of the individual ns not only reduces the weight of the sections without materially decreasing their efficiency, but it rather adds to the efficiency in providing the spaces d between the sections through which the air can flow.

I claim: Y 1. A convector comprising a barrel of substantially elliptical cross-section having a connector portion at each end thereof, and being tapered in width toward the ends thereof, and a series of fins on the opposite side faces thereof, the ns on the intermediate portion of the barrelv being of greater length than the fins adjacent the ends of the barrel.

2. A convector comprising a barrel of substantially elliptical cross-section having a connector portion at each end thereof, and being tapered in width toward the ends thereof, and a series of ns on the opposite side faces thereof, the fins on the intermediate portion of the barrel being of greater length than the fins adjacent the ends of the barrel, the length of the fins decreasing gradually from the intermediate portion of the barrel toward the opposite ends thereof.`

3. A convector comprising a barrel of substantially elliptical cross-section having a connector portion at each end thereof and being tapered in width toward the ends thereof, and a series of fins on the opposite side faces thereof, the fins on the intermediate portion of the barrel being of greater length than the ns adjacent the ends of the barrel, the length of the ns decreasing gradually from the intermediate portion of the barrel toward the opposite ends thereof, the fins having rounded corners whereby their width decreases toward the opposite edges of the barrel.

4. A convector comprising a plurality of sections arranged side-by-side, said sections comprising barrels of elliptical cross-section having their longitudinal axes inclined from a vertical plane and having connector portions at each end thereof which communicate with the connector portions of the adjacent sections, said barrels having inclined fins extending thereacross, which fins decrease in width toward the opposite edges of the barrels whereby trough-like air spaces are provided on the upper and lower sides of the convector.

5. A convector comprising a plurality of sections arranged side-by-side, said sections cornprising barrels of elliptical cross-section having their longitudinal axes inclined from a vertical plane and having connector portions at each end thereof which communicate with the connector portions of the adjacent sections, said barrels having inclined fins extending thereacross, which ns decrease in width toward the opposite edges of the barrels whereby trough-like air spaces are provided on the upper and lower sides of the convector, substantially all of the fins being of uniform maximum Width, the length of the fins on the intermediate portions of the barrel being greater than the ns adjacent the end portions of the barrel.

6. A convector comprising a plurality of sections arranged side-by-side, said sections comprising barrels of elliptical cross-section having" form maximum width, the length of the fins on the intermediate portions of the barrel being greater than the fins adjacent the end. portions of the barrel, the length of the fins diminishing gradually from the intermediate ones to the end ones, the end portions of the barrel also being narrower than the intermediate portion thereof.

ROBERT S. WENTWORTI-L 

